Australia took the fight out of the Philippines in the second period before racing to a 77-43 victory in the semifinals of the Fiba Asia U18 tournament Friday in Thailand.

Australia scored the first eight points in the second period after a tight opening quarter before Callum Dalton nailed a couple of triples and Kody Stattman joined in the scoring fray to produce a strong finishing kick to the first half and build a 44-20 cushion.

After staying within two at the start of the second quarter, Batang Gilas came undone when it could not hit a basket for three minutes. By the time Kai Sotto scored a putback off a Dave Ildefonso miss, Australia had already found its rhythm.

Australia will face New Zealand in the final after the Kiwis rode on a triple-double from Flynn Cameron to oust China, 87-82.

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